HICKORY, N.C.,None — The search for 10-year-old Zahra Baker took investigators to a pond in Burke County. Channel 9 was there as investigators drained the pond near Morganton, but did not find Zahra.
VIDEO: Investigators Focusing On Drainage Pond For Missing Girl
Investigators in Burke County and K-9 teams were back actively searching several different locations on Wednesday for the missing 10-year-old, Zahra Baker.
Police were double checking the areas that they searched on Tuesday to make sure they didn't miss any evidence that could help with this case, but they did not find her body.
During that time family and strangers held a candlelight vigil in Hickory in honor of the girl. Even though Zahra was reported missing Saturday afternoon the group still believes there is a chance she will be found alive.
Zahra's stepmother, Elisa Baker, briefly appeared Wednesday before a judge on the charge of obstruction of justice at the Catawba County Justice Center in Newton.
Baker answered "yes" and "no" to the judge's questions with two attorneys at her side, but didn't say much else.
Police said she has not cooperated since her stepdaughter's disappearance on Saturday from the family's home in Hickory.
Police said Baker admitted to writing the ransom note found outside the home the day Zahra disappeared.
The judge appointed attorney Scott Reilly to represent Baker. Reilly told the judge he believes her $40,000 bond is too high.
Channel 9 spoke with Reilly and prosecutors about the case on Wednesday afternoon. "She is scared to death. She's worried if her family is out here and she is still emotional. It's scary coming out here and seeing all the court reporters and courtroom of people who are so much against her right now," Reilly said.
Riley also said Baker feels she is being railroaded by police. "She says she is not a killer had nothing to do with this whatsoever and that she has tried to cooperate with police, and that she loves her daughter," Reilly said.
"I know this is a very emotional time for law enforcement. The community is upset. We have a high degree of faith that law enforcement is going to solve this case. It's going to be a high priority for the DA's office when they do," said District Attorney Jay Gaither.
Scott Reilly told Chanel 9 that they could have a bond hearing as early as Monday.
Police released very little information Wednesday but Channel 9 could saw investigators at several locations back searching in Burke County north of Morganton, running down possible leads.
One of those leads was a call from Rachel Freeman, who lives one mile from the area where investigators were searching on Tuesday night. Freeman told police she smelled something outside her home. "I want them to find it. I'm very concerned about her. We've smelled it since Sunday. It was real bad last night," Freeman said.
But police said they didn't find anything around Freeman's home. The area is less than a mile from where officers conducting a massive search Tuesday night for Zahra on property where police said her father had access to a wood chipper.
That location is where Melvin Campbell lives. He too called police after spotting an SUV on a logging road. "Just everybody keep their eye out and if they see anything suspicious call the law," Campbell said.
IMAGES: Hickory Church Holds Emotional Vigil For Missing Girl
The wooded area is dozens of miles from where Zahra Baker was last seen.
The scene is down a dead end dirt road off of Hartland Road, north of Morganton, where police spent more than seven hours looking for clues around a wood chipper and in mulch piles.
About 50 people, including the FBI, Hickory Police and Burke County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene. They're focusing their investigation on a mound of debris on the property. Heavy equipment and flood lights were brought out to remove the heavy brush and debris.
IMAGES: Crews Search Late Into Night For Clues
VIDEO: Crews Search Late Into the Night for Clues in Zahra Baker Case
RAW VIDEO: CHOPPER: Crews Search Debris For Clues
Police were there all night long in what they described as a "painstaking process" of looking for evidence in the mound.
The Burke County Sheriff told Eyewitness News just before 11 p.m. that information keeps leading them to that spot, but there's no proof yet if they're in the right place.
Zahra's father was out at the scene Tuesday night, but the sheriff also told Eyewitness News that he thinks the father isn't being "cooperative" or "sincere."
VIDEO: Investigators Searching Wooded Area In Missing Girl Case
Alvin Zero Webb lives near the area where authorities are searching and told Channel 9 that deputies visited his home on Monday. "I'm worried. I'm worried if she's OK or not," he said.
Law enforcement sources tells Eyewitness News Zahra's father, Adam Baker, worked in the tree trimming business and had access to the equipment on the property.
Deputies say cadaver dogs hit on the equipment and the mulch leading to the intensive search Monday.
"They were looking for blood," Webb said.
Channel 9 asked "Is that what they told you?"
"Yes. In a round about way, yes," he said.
Police said that Zahra's father is with police on the scene as they search for his daughter.
The Hickory police chief spoke for only a few minutes on Tuesday, but his words carried the greatest impact so far in the case.
Choking back his emotions, Adkins, made the difficult announcement: "The Amber Alert for Zahra Baker will be canceled today. And the decision to focus this case from a missing child will turn into a homicide investigation."
An hour later, Zahra's stepmother, Elisa Baker, with her head down, appeared before a magistrate on the obstruction charge.
Channel 9 has learned Elisa Baker called attorney Scott Riley after being interviewed by police. "I spoke to her at 3 a.m. this morning. I went to see her at 7:30 a.m. this morning. She still hadn't had any sleep. She's very emotional, very upset," Riley said.
Riley told Channel 9 that Baker claims she had no involvement in Zahra's disappearance, but police say outside immediate family no one has seen the 10-year-old for a month.
As each day passes, police become more and more concerned about the outcome of the case.
"We understand the public wants to help to find Zahra and wants to form search teams to find her. The problem is we cannot confirm with any confidence how long Zahra has been missing," Adkins said.
TIMELINE: Check Out A Timeline Of Events In Missing Zahra Baker Case
SLIDESHOW: Zahra Baker - Missing 10-Year-Old Hickory Girl
SLIDESHOW: Search For Zahra Baker Continues
VIDEO: Team Coverage: Missing Girl's Stepmother Focus Of Investigation
Police said, the timeline of the case is one of the largest obstacles for investigators.
Police tell Channel 9 they are having trouble finding anyone outside family who has seen Zahra in the past month.
Here is a brief timeline of the case:
• Zahra's stepmother told police she last saw the girl asleep in her bed Saturday morning around 2:30 a.m.
• Just three hours later, firefighters were called to the Hickory home for a brush fire.
• There, they found a ransom note written to Adam Baker's boss, Mark Coffey, threatening his daughter.
• Zahra was reported missing around 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon and the search for her began.
• On Sunday morning, Zahra's stepmother was arrested on outstanding warrants unrelated to the case.
• On Monday, police asked anyone who had seen Zahra recently to come forward.
If you have seen Zahra or have any information that can help investigators with the case please call Hickory police at 828-328-5551.
Man Named In Ransom Note Worries For His Family
As the case has now shifted to a homicide investigation, the search for Zahra body continues, the ransom note is a key piece to the investigation
According to police, Baker's stepmother has admitted to writing the fake ransom note and leaving it at the family's home.
The note said that a kidnapping had taken place and it was addressed to Zahra's father's employer, Mark Coffey.
Police said that the note was a fake created by Elisa Baker. "They feel like the ransom note was just a distraction," Coffey said.
Coffey told Channel 9 he fears for his family safety. "I feel like anyone would. I don't like it," Coffey said.
VIDEO: Man Named In Ransom Note Worries For His Family
Coffey told Channel 9 that he believes someone may now think he has $1 million and could try to kidnap a member of his family.
"My family has had to leave their home for safety reasons because now we don't know who is going to come out of the woodworks," he said.
Coffey owns the house where Zahra lived and was last seen alive. Her family was renting it from him.
Zahra's father also works for Coffey's company. He remembers the little girl who lost her leg in a fight with cancer. "She's a sweet little girl. A sweet little girl," he said.
Coffey told Channel 9 that he knows nothing about the investigation or anything about what happened to the little girl he had only seen a few times, but still he worries about her and said for us to pray "That we can find her alive," he said.
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